Vaccinations for South Africa
Does anyone have advice on vaccinations for visiting SA? I have looked at various sites but I am a bit confused. For example, one list says to get a Hepatitis vaccine and others do not. Thanks.
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Does anyone have advice on vaccinations for visiting SA? I have looked at various sites but I am a bit confused. For example, one list says to get a Hepatitis vaccine and others do not. Thanks.
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I recommend a visit, well in advance of your trip, to a reputable travel clinic. The CDC website is a great resource for information about travel health recommendations and precautions. We received the Hep A and B vaccines many years ago, prior to international travel. There are additional vaccine recommendations, but again, you should consult with medical professionals.
Condy…. There is a good discussion about immunizations under “Wildlife Odyssey” , and I am sure there are other discussions regarding vaccines in Africa as well. In my experience, the travel doc immunizations were very pricey and the immunizations were less than half of the cost through the Costco travel immunization service. It is not available in all states.
https://www.costco.com/full-service-travel-medicine-consultation-program*,-by-safegard.product.100123081.html
@Condy - best advice anyone can give you is to do your own research first (checking CDC is a great first step), then speaking to a reputable travel doctor and seeing if their current recommendations match the CDC recommendations, then consulting with your primary care about any ancillary health issues/concerns/needed medications you may have.
From a financial standpoint - my personal advice is to NOT get vaccines/treatments via the travel doctor unless that is the only route in your state. 99% or more of the travel medical offices work as a CASH only (ie. not accepting insurance) business. It's one thing to pay out of pocket for medical care, and then it is another to pay out of pocket when it is unnecessary. And most routine and basic health vaccines are covered in some part or all by insurance providers. Travel specific ones may not be, but why wouldn't you want to see if your insurance would cover them. My insurance said a vaccine is a vaccine is a vaccine and there were no exclusions.
So for example the travel doctor told me for Tanzania that adults needed: Polio Boosters (can't get in Mass at local pharmacy), Hep A/B, Typhoid @ ~ $40 per pill = $160 and we did not need Yellow Fever and that most insurances would not cover anything if at all a small part.
So, I booked Hep A/B with with my wife at Walgreens - Insurance 100% Covered $175/dose (need 3 doses). We've done 2 so far.
So, I had my kids pediatrician prescribe them the typhoid oral vaccines - Insurance Covered $72/Copay of $60.
And interestingly in Massachusetts, I have determined that you can only get select vaccines with a travel doctor or approved doctor. For example you cannot get Yellow Fever, Polio, Typhoid (injectable) here via a Walgreens or CVS. BUT you can get them, and many more just across the state line in Rhode Island. So my wife and I made our Polio vaccine booster appointments in RI. Sadly we drove down this morning (30 min drive) only to get there and find out the pharmacy did not have them. Apparently they don't check to see what vaccines people are coming in for in advance and prepare for that. I booked these 30 days ago! So... the nice pharmacist ordered them and we'll drive back on Wednesday.
In summary, speak to the professionals about what you may or may not need, and then work through your primary and pharmacies to get as much covered by your insurance as possible. If I had gone the travel doctor/out of pocket route for my family just for Typhoid (oral) it would have been $80 doctor visit + $160 x 4 people at a total cost of $960 when at most it will cost me is $240 via insurance. Hep A/B would have been $175 (3 doses) x 2 people at a total cost of $1050 and it will cost me $0 via insurance. Those differences are quite significant!!
I was speaking to a friend just this morning who had been to a travel Dr yesterday for an upcoming trip we are all going on. I asked how much it cost for the consult and she said it was covered by her insurance.
Hep A and B are not just off travel, so insurance should cover it. You can get both these diseases here in the US. There was a recent Hep A outbreak in our area a few months ago.
That's great it the initial consult was covered British. Mine was most definitely not. They'll tell you up front if they are contracted to work with insurance or not.
I would consult with your regular PC doctor. The travel clinics will try to sell you every vaccine that has ever been invented. I’ve not done this trip, but K&T, and Z,B, and SA have relatively little contact with the locals. If you catch something it is more than likely going to be from contact with someone in your tour group.
Hep A 2 shot series and Hep B if you haven't had that before. We were given antibiotics for malaria prevention but most did not take.
dogdoctor - our blue cross plan covered the travel clinic at Beth Israel in Boston in late 2023. Before that it covered visits with Atrius health travel clinic on the north shore in 2022 but that office has since closed. We had 2 trips planned: Central America and South Africa. We were told to come back for South Africa closer to the time we leave, this October, since the recommendations were under review. Recently I did see something to that effect in the news.
@bucketlist - that's awesome and good know for future travel! The nearest travel clinic to me is in the Milford Regional Physicians Group (I live in Milford) and they told me up front the cost of the consult alone was $80 and they never even attempted to process it through my BCBS insurance at check-in. They only asked for form of payment. That may, and probably was an oversight on my part and I should have asked them to try to run it through. I didn't though, since places like Passport Heath specifically state they do not accept insurance plans - but they will help you submit a claim. Personally I would not want to be out any $$$-$$$$ and then hope/wait to see if it gets reimbursed.
To tag onto @billybowlegs - I would second the Hep A and B and specifically seek out the Twinrix (A/B) Vaccine to get it done in a few pokes as possible. You get the vaccines on Day 0, 30, and 180 but they you are covered for A and B. We have had no side effects from the first 2 shots - maybe minimal discomfort.
Small Update: My wife and I got our Polio vaccine boosted today. I'm only 46, but they (travel, pediatrician [although kids are recently ie. in under 20 years ago vaccinated), and PCPs all recommended getting a booster with the waning immunity from our childhood vaccines. Tanzania has had recent Polio outbreaks so it was strongly recommended.
Got the IPOL - Poliovirus Vaccine Inactivated (Monkey Kidney Cell) - that's a mouthful. LOL. Not even a little soreness from the injection (personal experiences may vary). Walgreens in RI - ($98 per injection) fully covered, no travel doctor/special doctor consult required.